The bud of a winter cherry blossom Chapter 7
by Suzuki Itakimori
Summary: I'm am so sorry for taking so damn long to get this written a lot of work had been taking up my time but enjoy the story and hopefully it turns out good for you guys


After the messenger butterfly I sent, my powers dimed to my normal eye color returned. 'sigh' "guess I should return to see what the others are up to" I walked back to see some of the guys drinking sake and just enjoying the time they had left, of course I should enjoy some to but I couldn't drink sake it was too much for me, some would may think I'm a light weight but they didn't need to know that so instead I just sat in front of sannosuke's room and just stared in the starry sky for once in my life I now felt a stronger purpose that I had a reason to fight for and it was my own decision and the love that was given to me from sannosuke. "What are you doing here outside?" I turned around to the right and saw sannosuke there. "Nothing just taking a breather" I replied he grabbed me and slowly brought me in to his room "You'll catch a cold if stay out here, come on get some rest we have our last battle and hopefully our last before peace can finally reach us" I nodded but in my heart I couldn't shake the feeling.

Someone far away trying to catch me from a deadly fate, as if someone would take my place in order for me to live, almost as if they were in my blood so close but I could not catch or see how they look, they start to fade from me "Wait!" I yelled before my eyes shot open to see sannosuke over me with his knees one the futon and his hands near my shoulders "You were making scary noises did you have a scary dream?" I rubbed my hand down my face "Yeah but I think I will be ok, thank you for worrying about me" he got off me and opened the door to bring some light in. "It's pretty outside" I said even though we were in the midst of battle but it was the small things that made it worthwhile to still live in this world.

"Hey sannosuke?" he looked at me "What is it?" I hesitated to ask "do you think we can get through this war together everyone?" he looked at the sky "The future holds no guarantee but we can change its path while were in this age" and then he hugged me to reassure me to not to worry and get through this. The battlefield now called we were rushing to different locations one by one, plan by plan, everyone Injured as time went by the restless nights of patrolling and awareness of ambushes anytime. The injured weren't going to get better soon me and chizuru worked endlessly on the patients as she helps with bandages as I use my powers but we would switch positions she would tend to wounds and I would do her job with bandages since she didn't want me to overwork myself nor my powers.

The night was long and hard one everyone some slept while some did patrols. I had no comfort to go to sleep at all, with all the fighting I could hear the screams from the past running through my head. Man I wonder how my brother and my father are doing but I had no time, a sound of a cannon from a far distance I quickly moved into position and did recon with my powers and saw the imperial army, why are they here so fast their numbers are too much of a large scale we have to retreat! "hijikata san!" I ran into the strategy tent a bowed down "The imperial army is on the move with a short distance from us, there numbers are a large scale our side does not have enough men to hold them off" his eyes widened "even if we do not have the numbers we cannot leave we the remaining members of the shinsengumi we cannot act on our own no more we must fight with aizu"

My hands clenched is this really our final battle our chances are slim will we all try to make it out alive? To me I had to follow what they had to say after all I was the guardian. A whistle came from the distance "enemy sighted" we all reacted to the high pitched signal we moved into place, the burning fire of blood dread on the grassy fields and the screams of warriors going down in battle. Everyone was fight while I was in the trees waiting for a double kill to reduce surprise attacks. The fight ended up continuing for a long time through the night I saw two people from enemy lines trying to a covert assault I swooped in and killed the two under my blade, the blood came drowning into the ground, the blood ended up on my face. The night grew longer than expected many injures were acquired, the guys I have no idea where they are I hope there ok but finally they were here my heart felt a huge weight off my chest, but then I heard footsteps coming back the direction where I was I was fighting with an enemy soldier we clashed swords *clank* and it pushed me back a little but I held my ground and ran with my sword, slashed from the bottom then fell to the ground screaming, this war grabbed many innocent citizen and those pulled into war by force it's our fault, the shogun, the dominance for the lands to choose who rules by war and blood. "Are you ok!" I turned around to see the others made it here in the same condition as I was "everyone you're ok!" we decided to do reconnaissance somewhere further. "How are things on your end? Suzuki" I hesitantly answered "The imperial army increase by 3x as it was in a short time after they arrived" there eyes widened. "I know this is a shock but even if we continue there are still hopes in fighting, we won't know how it will end with wits alone we cannot win the world is changing", then with that sentence another shot from a cannon ball came crashing down near us I smacked near a tree *grunts* sannosuke came running near me "You ok" I nodded "come on we need to start back to fighting for what we worked for all this time" he helped me up and we snuck into battle and killed the two soldiers from behind.

Once again the war drags for so long us of the shinsengumi remaining members we now have learned that we have been treated as fake warriors, experiments I had thoughts of the past while fighting of how we used to just fight to protect those who cannot or need help they were those who devoted their life and swore to protect by any means, *sighing heavily* I don't know how long I can keep this up. Then I saw a solider getting ready to attack someone far away I got up and ran the time before the blood would burst out from the contact of the sword pierce the skin of my comrade ran behind the man who was about to be killed to see it was sannosuke, I had no time to swing my sword then but then I used my powers as I saw the many soldiers coming in my direction I used my restricted method which calls upon the heavenly maidens of the past generations. My physical appearance turned into a shrine maiden with detached sleeves, I thought to myself i will try to stop this war with my own hands and keep everyone safe, then a sword slashed me and blood ran out from the open flesh wound, sannosuke enraged with anger he killed the man in his direction then the man who slashed me I fell down and sano caught me "Suzuki! Hey!" he quickly ran, the others covered sano's back while he sees my condition "S-sannosuke i-im s-so sorry" he held my hand tighter "Don't speak save your strength, were going to help you just hang on" blood started to stream down from my lips as I was taking deep breaths "There's something I haven't to-" He grabbed my neck "Please don't talk tears" came from his eyes "That day in the cherry blossom forest the girl you met in a kimono" I took a breath "that was me I was also the person who helped you with that night of the tosa clan attack" he eyes widened even more as the clanging of swords and those who held his back "Who knew I would end up loving this you this much" as I smiled "S-sano promise me this" he try to keep his tears back "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier about this a-and if y-you die I forgive you so easily forgive you, and so keep living for the future" I raised my hand to his check with my weak strength and smiled one last time.

_I felt her hand drop for the last time from my face, that's it I couldn't hold back my tears I loved her and she died in place of me and everyone to protect us, I kissed her for the last time despite the taste of blood in her mouth. _

_It's been 6 months since the war has ended everyone spilt up some died some hid an ran from the remnants of war, I slept alone in a room._ "Sano wake up" _I heard a slight whisper within my sleep I know this feeling what is this it's so familiar _"wake up it's me" _it became louder and more visual till I could see someone walking in a trance like atmosphere I looked up I couldn't believe what I could see._

"It's been a while since I last saw you"_ I ran not knowing if this was real or not but I was over joyed to the sight I saw "Suzuki!"_ _she grabbed me and hugged me "_I told you to live for the future"_ she played around with me but there was one thing I wasn't sure of "How am I seeing you" she told me to sit _"you know the last kiss you gave me before I was you know_" I nodded_ "well that kiss holds a secret, the secret to see your loved one but I cannot physically come back I can only see you In your dreams but I am at least over joyed to see you" I felt the same I hugged her and kissed her.


End file.
